Gdynia
Gdynia is a port city in northern Poland. Together with nearby Gdańsk and Sopot they are often referred to as Tricity (Polish: Trójmiasto). Gdynia was first mentioned in the 13th century when it was just a fishing village, however it became much more important after World War I when it was rebuilt completely from scratch as a planned city, filled with modernist architecture, military harbour and seaport which served newly independent Poland. It remains one of the most important coastal cities in Poland with large cargo traffic and a navy base.
Understand
[edit]Gdynia is one of the youngest and modern cities in Poland. In the early 1900s Gdynia was a little village, but after World War I and establishing the Free City of Danzig, the Polish Government decided to build a deep-sea port. Construction began in 1921. The city rose fast in the 1920s and 1930s, so architecture and planning reflect European trends of the day - Modernism. The city continues to grow to this day. Today, Gdynia is a modern city with a population of 244,000 (2021) and is the second major Polish port in the Baltic Sea after Gdańsk.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is in nearby Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport GDN IATA, 25 km from the city centre. The airport is a popular destination for low-price flights from many European airports. Domestic flights are also available.
The regional trains SKM operate between the airport (Gdańsk Port Lotniczy) and the main station of Gdynia (Gdynia Główna). The fastest train takes 26 minutes.
By train
[edit]Gdynia is one of the biggest railway hubs in Poland with connections to Warsaw, Kraków, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, Szczecin, Toruń, Białystok and many others. A few international trains, including daily service from Berlin are available too. All mainline trains are operated by PKP
If travelling in the coastal area Gdańsk, Sopot and Gdynia, then look out for the SKM commuter train. Travel from nearby Gdańsk takes about 35 minutes (6.50 zł) with the frequent SKM urban trains, which leave every 8–20 minutes.
- 1 Gdynia Główna railway station.
By boat
[edit]- From Sweden: Karlskrona-Gdynia by Stena Line. Day trip for a passenger with bike costs around 240 zł.
Additionally, Żegluga Gdańska runs a once-weekly ferry from the small port city of Baltiysk, in the Kaliningrad enclave.
By bus
[edit]- See: PKS
By car
[edit]From Gdańsk by the route E75 just east along the coast.
Get around
[edit]
By bus
[edit]Zarząd Komunikacji Miejskiej (ZKM) operates buses and trolleybus. Network is efficient and frequent. Locals are keen to help with directions, but always ask several people and see if they agree. Apply for the reduced fair if you can show an international student card and are younger than 26.
Tickets for a bus:
- normal tickets 3.20 zł
- half-price ticket 1.60 zł
- express lines ticket and night bus ticket 4.20 zł (reduced: 2.10 zł)
- There is a 24 hour-ticket (13 zł/6.50 zł) valid on all trolleybus, buses during the day and on night buses.
Here's the key to understanding Gdynia bus and trolleybus route numbers:
- Nxx are night routes.
- 5xx are special routes, which operate only a few days in a year (with the exception of 520 and 530).
- G J K M R S W Z are express routes, which link the farthest districts to the city centre. (Normal ticket: 3.50zł)
- 0x 0xxare free routes, you can catch this bus to supermarkets in Gdynia.
others, are normal routes with normal tickets.
By train
[edit]Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM) is fast and cheap regional commuter rail between Gdańsk - Sopot - Gdynia. Ticket price depends on distance e.g.
Tickets for a SKM train:
- Gdynia - Sopot normal ticket 3.10 zł
- Gdynia - Gdańsk normal ticket 4.50 zł
See
[edit]Gdynia is a relatively modern city and one will not find many historical buildings. The oldest building in Gdynia is the 13th-century St. Michael Archangel's Church in Oksywie. There is also a 17th-century neo-Gothic manor house located in the Folwarczna Street in Orłowo.
However, what most tourists look for Gdynia deals with its recent past. In the harbour there are two museum ships anchored, the ORP Błyskawica destroyer and the Dar Pomorza Tall Ship frigate. Gdynia is also famous for its numerous examples of early 20th-century architecture, especially monumentalism and early functionalism. Świętojańska street and Kościuszki square are also worth mentioning.
The surrounding hills and the coastline attract many nature lovers. Leisure pier and cliff-like coastline in Kępa Redłowska as well as the surrounding Reservation Park are also popular. A 1.5-km-long promenade leads from the marina in the city centre to the beach in Redłowo. Most of Gdynia can be seen from Kamienna Góra (54 metres asl) or a newly built observation point near Chwaszczyno.
You can also take hydrofoil or ship trip to Gdańsk Westerplatte, Hel or just see port.
Gdynia is the only city in Poland and one of the few in Europe to pride itself on such long and accessible seashore. You will easily catch great views of the sea, and also find long promenades, beautiful waterfronts, marinas, yacht clubs and great sand beaches.
Museums
[edit]- 1 Gdynia Aquarium (Akwarium Gdyńskie), Al. Jana Pawła II 1 (last building on south side of main wharf), ☏ +48 58 732 66 01, akwarium@mir.gdynia.pl. at least 10:00-17:00, usually open longer, look at schedule on website. The aquarium. Largest sea zoological museum in Poland showcasing many kinds of sea fauna and flora. Operating since 1970s. 42 zł May-Aug, 36 zł Sep-Apr.
- 2 Muzeum Marynarki Wojennej, Zawiszy Czarnego 1B (west off city beach), ☏ +48 58 620 13 81, rezerwacja@muzeummw.pl. 10:00-16:00 Tu-Su, M closed. Open air museum of marine weapons, helicopters, cannons, torpedoes, fighters. 30zł.
- 3 ORP Błyskawica (Warship museum), Al. Jana Pawła II 1 (first ship on northern side of main wharf), ☏ +48 58 620 13 81, rezerwacja@muzeummw.pl. open Apr-Oct, at least 10:00-16:00 Tu-Su, M closed. Warship ORP Błyskawica (Lightning) started service in 1937 and operated during World War II. You can see deck with artillery, engine rooms and a historic exhibition display of the Polish Navy. 30 zł.
- 4 Dar Pomorza (Tall ship museum), Al. Jana Pawła II 1 (second ship on northern side of main wharf), ☏ +48 453 678 498, zwiedzanie.dar.pomorza@nmm.pl. It's the most famous Polish training tall ship. It was built in 1909. 28 zł.
- 5 Emigration Museum in Poland (Muzeum Emigracji w Gdyni), Polska 1 (Muzeum Emigracji stop), ☏ +48 58 670 41 50, biuro@muzeumemigracji.pl. M closed, Tu 12:00-20:00, W-Su 10:00-18:00. Opened in 2015 this museum does an excellent job at explanation Polish migrations from the Middle Age to present day Poland and their consequences for both Poland and the countries that welcomed Polish people. Adult 19 zł, free on Wednesdays.
Sightseeing
[edit]- Kamienna Góra with nice panoramic view, also possible to see Hel peninsula.
- Cliff and wooden pier in Orłowo. Reach by SKM Gdynia Orłowo or trolleybus lines 21 and 26.
- Trójmiejski park krajobrazowy (Tricity Sightseeing Park) - a forest-park surrounding all tricity, with many sightseeing spots.
- Bulwar Nadmorski (Seaside Promenade).
Do
[edit]- Football: Arka Gdynia play soccer in I Liga, the second tier. Their home ground Stadion GOSIR (capacity 15,000) is 4 km south of town centre with its own railway station.
- Cinema
Beaches
[edit]Beaches in Gdynia are nice, clean and not as crowded as those in Gdańsk and Sopot.
- 1 City beach (Plaża miejska) (south of main wharf). Main beach. Large sandy triangular beach in the centre, next to Gdynia Marina and Bulwar Nadmorski (Seaside Promenade).
- 2 Orłowo beach (by SKM Gdynia Orłowo or trolleybus lines 21 and 26 station Orłowo SKM "Klif"). In Orłowo District, next to beautiful Orłowo cliffs.
- 3 Osada Rybacka (152 bus line from the city centre - get out at the terminus of the line on Oksywie Dickmana.). A quite wild beach in Oksywie district - besides suntanning, you can see beautiful, old fishermen equipment and a funicular for fish transport. It is better to go there in the morning, as in the late afternoon the sun is hidden by cliffs.
Events
[edit]- 4 Open'er Festival. If you plan to come early summer don't miss one of the best European open air music festival with more than 70,000 fans and top world stars. Every year, internationally known musicians as well as Polish musicians add their names to the marquee.
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Buy
[edit]Gdynia is a great place for shopping.
- Batory, Ul. 10 lutego 11. Modern shopping mall in the city centre.
- Klif, Al. Zwycięstwa 256. High quality shopping mall not far from the Orłowo cliff.
- 1 Gemini, Ul. Waszyngtona 21, ☏ +48 58 727 99 09. Shopping mall and cinema with a lot of restaurants and small flea market with handmade art work.
- 2 Hala Targowa, Wójta Radtkego 36, ☏ +48 501 056 063, zmht@zbilk.gdynia.pl. 08:00-18:00 M-F, 08:00-15:00 Sa. Local marketplace with fruits, fish, and some flea market.
- Świętojańska and Starowiejska. Two main shopping streets in Gdynia.
Eat
[edit]Budget
[edit]In the city centre
[edit]At the port
[edit]Mid-range
[edit]- Pueblo, ul. Abrahama 56 (entrance on Władysława IV), ☏ +48 58 621-60-07, pueblo3@wp.pl. Daily 12:00-23:00. It's tough to find a good Mexican restaurant in Poland, let alone Europe, but Pueblo makes a good attempt. Better yet, the servings are plentiful and the price is muy bueno. 35 zł.
- Falla, Żołnierzy I Armii Wojska Polskiego 13. Noon-Midnight. Really laid back Israeli food. Hummus, fallafal, Baba ganoush etc with a slight twist. Some of the best I've had and the price is really good. Massive portions!
Splurge
[edit]- 10 Barracuda, Bulwar Nadmorski im Feliksa Nowowiejskiego 10, ☏ +48 58 620 8000, +48 58 620 4000, biuro@barracuda.net.pl. Daily 12:00-00:00. This restaurant, right on the shore of the Baltic Sea, serves up the best seafood in Poland, hand down. The interior is a cool fusion of dark and modern, but the ocean breeze and the Sinatra sonnets make the patio far more pleasant.
Drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]
As the TriCity is in effect conjoined and there are good, fast transit links, you can just as well consider accommodation in Gdańsk or Sopot.
Budget
[edit]- Camping U Wnuka (ul. Osada Rybacka, 50 min by bike from main train station) - small but nice place (with sea view), nice host, 30 zł for a night in tent.
Mid-range
[edit]- 1 Mercure Gdynia Centrum (ex Orbis Gdynia), ul. Armii Krajowej 22, ☏ +48 58 666 30 40. The former Orbis hotel underwent a thorough refurbishment and is now a recommendable modern property with a central location and views of the harbour from rooms facing that side. The hotel also features a large indoor swimming pool. Room rates starting at 179 zł.
- 2 Hotel Kuracyjny. A spa-themed hotel in Orłowo with an adjacent wellness centre Room rates starting at 179 zł.
- 3 Antares, ul. Komandorska 59. The Antares is a skillfully adapted older residential building, now complete with all the features of a midscale hotel, including a small gym. 199 zł per single room.
Splurge
[edit]- 4 Hotel Nadmorski, Juliana Ejsmonda 2, ☏ +48 58 6993333, hotel@nadmorski.pl. The boutique hotel features touches reminiscing Gdynia's glorious modernist past inside and out, and boasts a location at the end of the seaside boulevard. A bit out of the way, it positions itself as a leisure destination, and trades on amenities, including a spa institute, and great service, even if its fit-outs have fallen behind with time. Room rates starting at 395 zł.
- 5 Courtyard by Marriott Gdynia Waterfront, ul. Jerzego Waszyngtona 19 (next to the SeaTowers), ☏ +48 58 743 0700. The limited-service Marriott hotel is an all-new property with very modern if simple furnishings. Some rooms, the hotel's small gym and the ground floor Scandinavian restaurant offer first-row waterfront views of the harbour. Rack rates from 222 zł (single occupancy), breakfast 80 zł per person.
Go next
[edit]Gdańsk Bay:
- Gdańsk capital of Pomerania with a beautiful old town and the biggest gothic brick church worldwide
- snobby spa and sea resort Sopot with the longest European pier
- sea resort Puck
Vistula Bay:
- medieval town of Elbląg
- sea resort and medieval town of Frombork with the grave of Nicolaus Copernicus
- sea resort Kadyny with one of the best European studs
Kashubian Coast:
- Słowiński National Park with the biggest dunes in Europe
- sea resort Rowy
- sea resort Łeba
- sea resort Jastrzębia Góra
- sea resort Rozewie
- sea resort Władysławowo
On the Hel Peninsula:
On the Vistula Peninsula:
- sea resort Krynica Morska
You can go to Karlskrona, Sweden, by ferry run by Stena Line. Ferry goes two times a day - in the day and in the night. The day trip is cheaper (for a passenger with bike costs around 240 zł) and less popular (may not have to be booked in advance, but please confirm with the operator), so ideal for cyclists.